For the first time in Nintendo’s history, Princess Zelda is the absolute protagonist of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, a new chapter exclusively for Nintendo Switch. A new title and at the same time faithful to the canons of the series.
The new Echoes of Wisdom brings with it two interesting firsts. It is the first chapter of The Legend of Zelda supervised by a woman – Tomomi Sano – and it is also the first in which Princess Zelda is the protagonist instead of the adventurer Link. This happens 38 years after the debut of the series on the Nintendo Entertainment System, which took place in 1986. This is an important revolution, which Echoes of Wisdom welcomes through a distortion of perspective and game mechanics, without however moving away from the typically Zelda essence of dungeons, characters to help and monsters. Let’s see in detail how he does it.
The world of Zelda in Echoes of Wisdom
Disturbing gashes they are swallowing up the territories of Hyrule. Anyone who ends up inside them is “cancelled” and imprisoned in Nothingness. It is the fate that awaits many people in Echoes of Wisdomincluding Link, who ventured out to save Princess Zelda after her mysterious disappearance. In a rapid reversal of roles, the latter is now the heroine and not with brute force. Thanks to power of Tria magical globular being, the princess can memorize and replicate her surroundings. This applies to furnishing objects, but also to plants and the various types of monsters that plague Hyrule.
In short, Zelda can replicate what she saw to overcome situations related to exploration, puzzles and combat. For example, we need to reach a platform too far away? Don’t worry, because we can create a bridge made of the sunbeds seen in the castle, on which we can also rest. Or, does an enemy risk killing us through close-range attacks? It will be enough to replicate an already defeated bird to have the advantage of the air. Few examples which however testify to the diversity of approaches for the different situations that we will encounter during the adventure. As happened in the gigantic Tears of the Kingdom, Echoes of Wisdom also relies on the imagination of the player.
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THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ECHOES OF WISDOM | Here is a bridge made of loungers to reach a distant platform
The result is a solid adventurebased mainly on cunning and strategy. We say mainly because, at some point in Echoes of Wisdom, Zelda will be able to evoke the essence of Link and to fight with sword, bow, bombs and shield. She will only succeed for a short period of time: when the energy bar runs out (and it will do so quickly), Zelda will return to her normal form and will only be able to rely on replicas. This is an expedient to recall the classic gameplay of The Legend of Zelda and remain faithful to the tradition of the series. This power also greatly speeds up combat, which they suffer from a bit of slowness in normal situations. This is because the monsters summoned by Zelda are not directly controllable but depend on the game’s artificial intelligence.
Their movements are, among other things, pre-established, so their effectiveness depends particularly on the timing and position in which they are evoked. Regarding the variety of approaches, it is also worth mentioning Tri’s unlockable abilities and upgrades which broaden the range of interaction possibilities. All of this is set in a stylish game world chibi carried over from 2019’s The Link’s Awakening, not immense in size (which is only a good thing) and incredibly rich. Exploration is rewarding in Echoes of Wisdombecause it always leads to a dungeon of hidden treasures, to new items to memorize, to new characters who need help. The design also works intelligently, stimulating the strategic and creative abilities of us players in a delicious way.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ECHOES OF WISDOM | The game world is at the complete disposal of the inventiveness of those who play.
The design of the first chapter of The Legend of Zelda was influenced by an experience he had as a child Shigeru Miyamotohistoric game designer who gave birth to Super Mario and other Nintendo icons. One day, during one of his many walks in the Kyoto countryside, he found himself in front of a cave. Despite the thick darkness, he decided to explore it to the fullest making light with a lantern. The sense of mystery and charm that arose from that experience survived over the years until it took shape in a video game which then became history. Nearly 40 years later, that essence still remains intact in the series: Echoes of Wisdom is a splendid demonstration of this. A title that enhances exploration and all the features that have made The Legend of Zelda immortal, without however giving up new perspectives, both representative and game design that give new life to a historic franchise.
